Browsing by Subject "Natural Gas"
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Item High accuracy p-rho-t measurements up to 200 MPa between 200 K and 500 K using a compact single sinker magnetic suspension densimeter for pure and natural gas like mixtures(2009-06-02) Atilhan, MertHighly accurate density data is required for engineering calculations to make property estimations in natural gas custody transfer through pipelines. It is also essential to have accurate pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) data for developing equations of state (EOS). A highly accurate, high pressure and temperature, compact single sinker magnetic suspension densimeter has been used for density measurements. First, the densimeter is calibrated against pure component densities for which very reliable data are available. After validating its performance, the densities of four light natural gas mixtures that do not contain components heavier than hexane and two heavy gas mixtures containing hexane and heavier components having fractions more than 0.2 mole percent were measured. The light mixtures were measured in the temperature range of 250 to 450 K and in the pressure range of 10 to 150 MPa (1450 to 21,750 psi); the heavy mixtures were measured in the range of 270 to 340 K and in the pressure range of 3 to 35 MPa (500 to 5,000 psi). Out of those, the data for only four light natural gas mixtures have been presented in the dissertation due to confidentiality agreements that are still in force. A force transmission error and uncertainty analysis was carried out. The total uncertainty was calculated to be 0.11%. Data calculated in this work is compared with the current industry standard EOS for natural gas systems (AGA8-DC92 EOS) and GERG EOS, which is the most recently developed EOS for natural gas systems. The data measured as a part of this research should be used as reference quality data, either to modify the parameters of AGA8-DC92 EOS and GERG EOS or to develop a more reliable equation of state with wider ranges of pressure and temperature.Item Hustling While You Wait: The Politics of Energy and the Deregulation of Natural Gas, 1938-1993(2009-05-15) Walden, Rachel NicoleThe ability of the state versus societal groups to influence the formulation of policies has long been debated in political sociology. I suggest that historical contingency theory provides insight to resolve this debate. I evaluate the explanatory power of societycentered, state-centered and historically contingent theories of policy formation using the case of deregulation of the natural gas industry. I find that capitalists in the natural gas industry unified in response to capital accumulation crises and mobilized politically to change their institutional arrangements to restore and expand profitability. These changes, in turn, expanded state structures, creating powerful mechanisms for groups in society to leverage the state to obtain favorable policy outcomes. In the natural gas industry, the key state structure was the industry?s regulatory body. Once this structure was created, the natural gas industry used it to leverage the state to incorporate deregulation into its national agenda. Thus, instead of increasing state autonomy, the creation and expansion of state structures undermines state autonomy and provides powerful groups in society with the means to control the policy formation process.Item Making of The Color of Oil: a contemporary pattern for unleashing the potential of science and technology journalism(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Oligney, Ronald EugeneIdeologies, intellectually and religiously driven, color both politics and economics. The relationship between government and the governed, human rights and the rule of law all are affected by such ideologies. However, unless humans are willing to change dramatically lifestyles honed in hundreds of years of historic developments, energy and energy abundance are arguably the most critical needs of modern society. In many ways energy has transcended ideology although there are still unrepentant ideologues advocating otherwise. It was this realization, augmented by a few events, that brought about the writing of The Color of Oil. The authors felt a need to combat popular errors being promulgated by the media in an area of such great importance to the entire human enterprise: Energy. A nonsensical 1999 cover story by the usually reliable Economist magazine provided the last straw. Someone had to set the record straight. But the dour-to-hostile climate that surrounded oil and energy at the turn of the century presented certain challenges to getting the work published. As it turned out, the unique qualifications of a science and technology journalist, the author of this thesis, played a key role in making the publication a reality, and then a phenomenon of sorts. In some ways, The Color of Oil suggests a meaningful new role for science and technology journalism and journalists in a media environment driven by movie stars and media profits. The book was produced on a short timeline and with limited resources. The book's message has played a role in key political decisions in the United States and around the world; as a direct result of the book, the authors were invited and participated extensively in development of energy policy in Texas and at the national level. It has effected billions of dollars of commercial enterprise, providing as it did the blueprint for development of Cheniere Energy, Inc., a $2 billion Houston company that today is one of North America's premier LNG receiving companies. And testimonies from readers of The Color of Oil suggest that the book has produced meaningful personal wealth for many of its 30,000-plus readers.Item The Feasibility of Natural Gas as a Fuel Source for Modern Land-Based Drilling Rigs(2012-02-14) Nunn, Andrew HowardThe purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of replacing diesel with natural gas as a fuel source for modern drilling rigs. More specifically, this thesis (1) establishes a control baseline by examining operational characteristics (response, fuel usage, and cost) of an existing diesel-powered land rig during the drilling of a well in the Haynesville Shale; (2) estimates operational characteristics of a natural gas engine under identical conditions; and (3) draws a comparison between diesel and natural gas engines, determining the advantages and disadvantages of those fuel sources in drilling applications. Results suggest that diesel engines respond to transient loads very effectively because of their inherently higher torque, especially when compared with natural gas engines of a similar power rating. Regarding fuel consumption, the engines running on diesel for this study were more efficient than on natural gas. On a per-Btu basis, the natural gas engines consumed nearly twice as much energy in drilling the same well. However, because of the low price of natural gas, the total cost of fuel to drill the well was lowered by approximately 54%, or 37,000 USD. Based on the results, it is possible to infer that the use of natural gas engines in drilling environments is feasible, and in most cases, an economical and environmental advantage. First, when compared with diesel, natural gas is a cleaner fuel with less negative impact on the environment. Second, fuel cost can be reduced by approximately half with a natural gas engine. On the other hand, natural gas as a fuel becomes less practical because of challenges associated with transporting and storing a gas. In fact, this difficulty is the main obstacle for the use of natural gas in drilling environments. In conclusion, because of its minimal drawback on operations, it is recommended that in situations where natural gas is readily available near current market prices, natural gas engines should be utilized because of the cost savings and reduced environmental impact. In all other cases, particularly where transport and storage costs encroach on the cost benefit, it may still be advantageous to continue powering rigs with diesel because of its ease of use.Item Viscosities of natural gases at high pressures and high temperatures(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Viswanathan, AnupEstimation of viscosities of naturally occurring petroleum gases provides the information needed to accurately work out reservoir-engineering problems. Existing models for viscosity prediction are limited by data, especially at high pressures and high temperatures. Studies show that the predicted viscosities of natural gases using the current correlation equations are about 15 % higher than the corresponding measured viscosities at high pressures and high temperatures. This project proposes to develop a viscosity prediction model for natural gases at high pressures and high temperatures. The project shows that commercial gas viscosity measurement devices currently available suffer from a variety of problems and do not give reliable or repeatable results. However, at the extremely high pressures encountered in high pressure and high temperature reservoirs, the natural gases consist mainly of methane as the hydrocarbon constituent and some non-hydrocarbon impurities. Available viscosity values of methane were used in the development of a correlation for predicting the viscosities of naturally occurring petroleum gases at high pressures and high temperatures. In the absence of measurements, this correlation can be used with some confidence.